Chapter 1249: The Converted Kamchatka Tribe, the Stone Tower of Martyrs
The winter in Kamchatka Peninsula is particularly long, and the sky after the snow is blue and bright, like an endless sea. The snow-capped wilderness is connected to the boundless sea of ice, and is like pure white clouds. The sky is the sea, the earth is the clouds, this is the Kamchatka coast in winter.
Between the clouds and the sea are the towering white snow-capped mountains in the middle of the peninsula. Under the hills where the snow-capped mountains extend to the shore, there are dozens of solid wooden houses built with logs, more semi-underground shacks, as well as three long boats and dozens of small boats frozen on the shore. It forms a large port camp by the sea.
This is the Shennanshan Port of the Kingdom, the second Kingdom port on the Kamchatka Peninsula. It is also the winter camp where the warriors led by Zuvalo and the people from the far north mainly live and operate. In fact, this is the southernmost tip of the Kamchatka Peninsula. From the end of the southern coastline, as long as you cross the ice-covered strait, which is only more than 20 miles at its narrowest point, you will reach the northern large island of the Kuril Islands, later known as Severo-Kurilsk.
The cold icy wind blew across the strait, and the hummingbird flag of the Lord God hung on the cedar tree outside the Nanshan Port camp, frozen into a straight shape. In the eyes of the local Yamabe, Nagabune Kaibe, who uses "some kind of strange bird" as a totem, is often called "Toribe" for this reason.
"Blessed by the Lord God of Big Bird! The reason why so many deer herds are preserved this year is thanks to the black stones transported by those two big ships! It's a pity that these precious fuels will be used less every time they are used... I don't know if they will be used next year. Will there be a big ship from the tribe coming?…”
"Hey, may the bird god of the tribe bless you! It's a pity that one of the three large ships that came over last year sank midway. It is said that dozens of elite warriors died, and a shipload of grain and black stones were also lost... Otherwise, the tribe's The black stone can be piled up in another warehouse, which can be kept until next winter... Well, two large ships have arrived, and there are so many more capable warriors in the clan! After the freeze this year, the shaman chief will probably take us south. , go to those short islands and plunder some food and women and come back..."
Two tribesmen from the Deer tribe were slowly returning from the snow outside the camp, carrying fodder on their backs. Although they speak the local tribal language, they have the emblem of the hummingbird engraved on their foreheads, and they regard themselves as tribesmen of the Bird Tribe. Obviously, the kingdom's assimilation policy that treats everyone equally, the spread of the main god's belief in depth, and the nomadic people's weak and strong ethnic affiliation are gradually forming a new branch of the Jiao people, Kamchatka's "Bird Tribe"!
"YoYo!…"
"Huh! Hiss!..."
Smelling the forage approaching, the calls of dozens of stags came from not far away, which seemed very exciting. And when the two tribesmen climbed over the low hills, nearly a thousand strong reindeer suddenly appeared in front of them!
Large herds of reindeer raised their horns and gathered in the mountain col outside the camp, huddled in a simple fence to stay warm in the winter. Deer are the most important means of production for the people in the far north, just like fishing boats that can catch fish. There are hundreds of port tribesmen who are responsible for collecting daily forage and taking care of these deer that are eager to migrate and fresh grass. Some diligent tribal women were half-kneeling in the snow, chanting prayers and carefully squeezing the doe's milk as today's fresh milk.
"The blessing of the warm firebird! Let the deer produce more milk and spring come early!..."
For nomads, whether they are grazing cattle and sheep in Northeast Asia or reindeer in the Far North, their most daily food is various dairy products, not meat. If they really couldn't survive the winter, no one would be willing to slaughter their own livestock and reduce their tribe's means of production.
Further inside from the shack where the deer spend the winter, there is a row of meat drying racks where venison and skins are dried. The venison on it was all fresh red and had obviously been slaughtered not long ago. There is a lack of forage in the winter and the climate is too harsh to allow all the deer to survive. Basically every month, there will be old or weak deer that die of cold and starvation, which makes the tribal people in the port feel heartbroken.
"Huh! God bless you! Knead the leather carefully! This batch of new leather armors is prepared for the newly arrived longship warriors. They must be strong and durable!"
Not far away, more than two dozen tribesmen wearing furs squatted in the snow, carefully using blunt stone knives to repeatedly shovel the surface of the deerskin. From time to time, they also add a handful of powdered snow, a handful of powdered salt, and a handful of unpleasant yellow powder to make the tanned leather dryer, harder and smellier.
These deer skins are first dried in the sun and then soaked in lime water or plant ash water to alkalize them. Because it is made of leather rather than fur, the soaking time will be longer. After several weeks of continuous soaking, the hair on the fur begins to fall off, almost completely losing its activity, and it is time to take it out and remove it. After the hair is removed, it takes a long time to dry and harden, until the last step is nitrification tanning. As for the additives used in tanning, the Kamchajia tribe does not have alum and Glauber's salt, so the only ones used are brine salt and urine salt...
"Ah! It's a pity that such good reindeer skin is used for leather armor... This is a fine fur mattress..."
"What do you know? God bless you! When the snow melts, the tribal warriors will go out...hurry up and make leather armor! This is a consumable for tribal fighting. It can also be fought on the islands in the south. Some of them even come from unknown sources. metal spear…”
The elderly leatherworker from the Deer Department was talking to himself, looking at the fine deerskin with reluctance in his eyes. The young hunter next to him didn't care and actively tanned the dehaired leather.
Among the nomadic tribes in Northeast Asia, these skins could have been made into very soft and smooth fur if they had not been hardened. Then, they can be sewn into leather boots, leather jackets and mattresses, and even amazingly beautiful leather carvings can be made!
In the deer migration camp of Lutaihe River, there was once a beautiful cowhide painting, which depicts "Eternal Blue Sky" and "Great Tengger". It was an inherited leather painting obtained by the Lu tribe two hundred years ago. It is said to come from the Ma tribe further west, from the rich grassland where our ancestors once nomadic, and from the powerful empire that once unified the entire grassland and entrusted various tribes in Far North Asia!
However, the legendary grassland empire that was as powerful as the blue sky was defeated and disintegrated by the more powerful southern tribes that were as powerful as the red sky. Since then, no envoys from the Steppe Empire have come eastward in this forgotten land of snow in Far North Asia...
"Bless the Lord God in charge of fire! Is the fish maw glue ready? How is the deer sinew silk? The fine fir bow body is ready, only the two key steps of gelatin and silk gluing are missing!..."
"Okay! Now it's time to apply glue... Be careful, the weather is cold and the glue will gel quickly! Remember, these newly glued bows must be checked every day, and the deer tendons will be applied again after about six or seven days. ...And these bows that were previously glued will be glued together today...You all think highly of my craftsmanship, learn from it!..."
The old hunter Lu Gong of the Deer Department shouted loudly, and together with several experienced tribesmen, he carefully made the unique skill of the safari tribe, the compound horn bow inherited from Northeast Asia. This is a real technical job and a real casual job. An excellent and durable horn bow often requires dozens of processes and takes at least a year to make. The two most critical steps that determine success or failure are boiling and gelling!
"The Lord God testifies! The glue boiled out of the stomachs of yellow croaker and catfish is the best fish maw glue. The heat must be controlled properly! After gluing, it depends on the material of the bow body and the condition of the glue... There is no ten-year-old Bow making skills, without the skills and control of glue boiling, can't make a good bow..."
After attaching a horn bow, the old hunter Lu Gong raised the corners of his mouth, his simple face full of confidence. As the best bow craftsman in the Deer River Tribe, after being captured, he not only did not become a herd slave herding deer, but instead gained a further status in the newly born Deer Tribe. Even if the shaman chief Zuvalo sees him, he will greet him with a smile and ask him "Have you eaten?", "Have you prayed before and after eating?"...
In fact, as nomadic tribes in Northeast Asia, whether they are the Lu tribe, the Shan tribe, or the Zhang tribe, they all maintain a practical attitude towards faith. What truly maintains their loyalty is whether the tribe's force is strong or whether food and fuel are sufficient. As long as the leader has enough food and a reputation as a brave or psychic person, he can easily summon a group of warlike tribesmen to fight and plunder other weak tribes, just like the southward raid after the freeze last year...
"Lord God! Although there are many island tribes on the big island in the south, they are all extremely poor and have no oil or water... I don't know that the chief shaman has captured these small tribesmen from the island tribe and is holding them in his arms every day. Shimabe girl, what do you want to do? There are more than a hundred people in the tribe to feed. This is no small matter! It is really cheap to have food and shelter. It is really cheap to survive the winter safely. A group of short islands..."
Thinking of this, the old hunter Lu Gong narrowed his eyes and looked at the newly built row of nests in the south. Dozens of short, hairy Ainu tribesmen, all with the emblem of their main god carved on their foreheads, were doing heavy carpentry work around the shack. They should take advantage of the sunny and warm weather to seize the time to build a fishing boat that they are good at. And when the spring snow melts in April, it’s a good time to fish!
Further away, some short island fishermen squatted on the ice bank to fish, replenishing the catch for the newly joined tribe. And a peculiar Central American stone tower stands on the solidified seaside, facing the direction of the eastern sunrise.
The altars of the main gods are stacked at the highest point of the small pyramid-shaped stone tower. A hummingbird flag stands quietly, and a pottery basin filled with ashes is placed below. The green smoke that has not yet dissipated solidified in the cold air, changing into mysterious and unpredictable shapes, like the signs of shaman divination...
At this moment, a priest wearing a feather crown was standing in front of the burned out brazier, staring at the strange altar and stone tower. In the traditions of Mesoamerican tribes, this kind of stone tower with an altar on top is actually the tomb of nobles and warriors, the resting place that connects the kingdom of God and the abyss of the earth...
"The Lord God bless you! May the souls of the devout ascend to the lofty and beautiful Kingdom of God!..."
After a long stare, Zuvalo sighed quietly and prayed for the fallen warriors and priests. Then, he tried his best to keep his eyes wide open and stared at the east where the sun was rising. That is exactly the direction of hometown, a home that everyone is thousands of miles away from and may never be able to return to...
"Zu...what are you doing? You seem...sad..."
The Ezo girl Chishima Kaiji raised her head, carefully pulled Zuvarro's sleeve, and looked at the mysterious stone tower with some fear. Then, she tried to stand on her tiptoes, and she could only reach her husband's handsome chin, so she raised her head and leaned against him, and kissed her gently...
"Well... Zu, according to the tribal custom, I followed you and lived in the same wooden house with you... If you have any sad things, you can tell me!..."
"Well, Shell, I was just praying to the Lord God... Although this stone tower tomb looks empty, there are sixty-two pious souls living in it! Thirty of them are tribesmen from the north, thirty warriors from the kingdom, and two noble priests of Purpecha, all buried in the storm and foggy sea last year...
Speaking of this, Zuvaro paused, his eyes reddened. He couldn't help but stretch out his strong arms and gently hugged the soft yellow-haired girl in his arms. Then, he whispered in a low voice, looking up at the sky with his deep eyes, and in the dazzling sunlight and the girl's upward gaze, he shed sad and sighing tears.
"Lord God bless! This frozen Far North Sea is where the pious are buried. Their bodies sank to the bottom of the sea, their flesh and blood returned to chaos, and their bones were immortal in the abyss of death. And their martyred souls, in that red and rich country, enjoy peace and beauty forever!"